Troy residents can kick off Christmas a little early this year, as the Salem-Troy Baptist Association is sponsoring a holiday drive for children overseas.

The drive is Operation Christmas Child, in which residents can pack shoe boxes with gifts for children who are suffering from natural disasters, war, terrorism, disease, famine and poverty.

Relay Center Coordinator Linda Adams said the Salem-Baptist Association will take the donations from Nov. 16 – 22, and this is the only relay center in the area.

“We would like to see 3,000 shoe boxes,” Adams said. “This is something we’ve done every year for a long time.”

Adams said the shoebox drive is a simple way for the community to share God’s love.

“This is a way we can share God’s love with things that we take for granted like toothbrushes and toothpastes,” Adams said. “The need for reaching out to kids who don’t have the opportunity to hear about Jesus, this gives us the opportunity to give them something.”

The organization will collect shoeboxes Nov. 16-19 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Nov. 20-21 from 10 a.m. to noon and Nov. 22 from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.

From Troy, the shoebox gifts will be sorted and sent using whatever means necessary –seas containers, trucks, trains, airplanes, boats, camel, even dog sleds –to reach suffering children around the world.

Adams said they have brochures and information available for the public.

“Anybody can call if they need any information,” Adams said.

For more information call 566-1538.